Book IV: Crystaline Song
by Elia41
Summary: Book IV of the series. Terra is gone, destroyed by Kuja's madness. Now aware that his life will end soon, the mage sets to destroy Gaia as well, but our friends aren't going to let him have his way. They would rather die ...
1. The gathering of heroes

Here is the last part of the series, the first chapter of Crystaline Song. Before going against Kuja, our team has some things to take care of ...

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><p>The gathering of heroes<p>

I was watching the Genomes in the room down the bridge. Those strange tailed people were just sitting and watching the place, not saying a word. Silver was piloting the Invincible, he and Zidane being the only two who could do that. Zidane finally came back.

"We made it …"

Freya, who was lying near what looked like a teleportation pod, frowned.

"Yes, we managed to escape from Terra, but …"

I frowned too.

"What's wrong, Freya?"

"Well, I was talking to Amarant about it earlier …"

"You don't think this is the end, do you?"

Zidane turned.

"Are you talking about Kuja?"

"Do you really think he perished with Terra?"

Freya looked at her nails.

"Even with his powers, it's hard to believe he'd have escaped unscathed."

I looked at my friend.

"What do you think, Zidane? What will Kuja do next?"

Zidane crossed his arms.

"I talked about it with Silver. We think he'll try to destroy Gaia."

"But how?" Freya asked.

I froze.

"He'll try to destroy the Crystal."

The three turned to me with wide eyes. I explained.

"We rangers know for a fact that the core of our world, its heart, is a giant Crystal that controls the flow of souls. Remember the tale of Shinryu and the creation of Gaia? The dragon dropped a drop of his blood in the Space, and the drop crystallized to become the core of our world. Also, during the Rituals, we bind our magic to the Crystal and give it a boost. If Kuja wants to destroy Gaia, he'll try to shatter its heart."

"Do you know how to reach the Crystal?" Amarant asked. Zidane thought a little.

"I think I know. Garland said something earlier. Something about a tree that serves as a gateway of souls between Terra and Gaia … The Iifa Tree."

"Everyone!"

Steiner came down from the stairs in Odin's armor. He looked completely bewildered.

"You must come look! Come with me!"

"What's u, Steiner?" Zidane asked. "Can't you just tell us?"

"It would be faster to some see it on the bridge!"

Worried, we followed the knight on the bridge. Silver was holding the commands and his face showed nothing but worry.

"What's up?" Zidane asked. "They're just clouds."

"It isn't clouds." Silver retorted. "It's Mist."

Vivi frowned.

"It's what black mages are made out of, and what used to cover the Mist Continent."

Zidane looked at the window. Dagger frowned.

"The Mist … has covered all of Gaia."

Zidane came to the command panel and Silver let him take his place.

"Kuja … What are you planning now?"

"Nothing good." Silver soberly answered. "Can I? There are some things I'd like to check."

Zidane let Silver take the place again. The silver-haired man closed his eyes. Suddenly, a red command board appeared before him. The man nodded.

"That's what I thought. Those souls are not Gaian, they're Terrans. Since Terra is no more, the Iifa Tree has stopped acting as a filter and rejected all of Terra's souls out to the planet."

He turned to me.

"What are we going to do now? I wish w could go straight against my father, but he's grown more powerful than ever. Even I'm not sure I can defeat him using my full powers. And there are the Genomes …"

It was Vivi who answered.

"We can take them to Selvaren. The Genomes remind me of the black mages and, if I remember well, Kuja used his memories of them to create the black mages. The rangers taught us a lot of things. I think they can help the Genomes too."

I nodded.

"That's right. And anyway, I promised Sari I'd come back and tell her what happened in Gaia."

"That's a bad idea to warn the rangers." Dagger retorted. "When they'll learn of Kuja's plans to destroy Gaia, everyone will panic. I suggest we bring the Genomes but not tell anything to Seld."

I shook my head.

"You're wrong, Dagger. The rangers won't panic to the new. We're the keepers of Gaia. When they'll learn what Kuja wants to do, they will want to fight by our side. And anyway, how do you want the Genomes to settle in Selvaren and Tamassa without telling what happened on Terra?"

Everyone looked at one another. Zidane nodded.

"It's settled, then. Let's go to Selvaren!"

He took Silver's place and flew the ship to the village. We landed at the entrance of Madgalene forest and guided the Genomes to Tamassa. Uncle Seld, Aunt Aria, Elder 288 and Sari were waiting for us.

"You're back." Uncle coldly said. I frowned.

"We are, and we bring newcomers."

The four looked at the Genomes with surprise.

"Who are they?" Aunt asked. "They look … hollow."

"We'll tell you everything at Selvaren." Zidane cut. "We've got serious business to talk about."

We led the Genomes to Selvaren. The tailed people were looking around, seemingly memorizing everything they could. We gathered them in the main plaza and Zidane turned to them.

"Don't go too far from there. You can do what you want as long as you don't bother the others."

The Genomes nodded. One of them, the girl in pink, went to Zidane.

"What are you going to do?"

"We'll talk to Seld and make sure you're given a home. If he wants, you guys will be living with the rangers and the black mages. This will be the start of a new life for you on Gaia."

The girl frowned. Zidane winked.

"Watch over them, Mikoto."

I nodded. So the girl was called Mikoto. I was about to follow the group in the Village Hall when someone jumped on me.

"Daddy!"

I backed up a few steps.

"Irianna?"

The eidolon girl was holding my legs with a big smile on her face. I took her in my arms.

"You were far. Mom was worried. You fine?"

I nodded.

"I'm fine, thanks to the Crystal. And you, little girl?"

"Fine too! Who those guys?"

I turned to Sari, who was looking at me.

"Where did she get those words?"

"She listened. This girl learnt fast."

I nodded and looked at Irianna.

"Those guys come from Terra and are called Genomes. Be nice with them. They are … not like us."

Irianna nodded and got out of my arms. I saw her running to a Genome … and caress his tail. The Genome turned and looked at her with confusion. Irianna took the tail.

"Silky!"

She started playing with it, being careful not to yank it or grab it too hard. The Genome let her do and turned to me.

"Why does she do that?"

I smiled.

"Irianna is a child. It is normal for her to play. And she seems to like your tail."

"What is play?" He asked.

I sighed. That's right, the Genomes knew nothing of real life. I considered not answering but the rangers had been teachers to the black mages and, if the Genomes settled in the forest, they would become our students as well. Better start the teaching job now …

"Play is a way to learn while having fun."

"What is fun?"

Got me. How could I answer to that? I closed my eyes.

"Fun is … what makes you happy. As for what is 'to be happy', it's for you to discover. Different things make different people happy. Playing with your tail makes Irianna happy, dancing makes other happy … Don't worry. When you'll find something that makes you happy, you will know."

"And one can be happy when playing?"

"Exactly."

The Genome nodded and looked at Irianna. He then swung his tail and started to play with the girl. I rejoined the others in the Hall. They were all talking and a map of Gaia was unfolded.

"Where were you?" Sari asked.

"Teaching a Genome." I simply answered. "Well?"

Seld looked at me.

"The Genomes will live by our side, just like the black mages. They may come from Terra but, now that the world is gone, Gaia is the only place they can settle. If what Zidane said is true about them, then it is our duty to watch over them."

He turned to Zidane.

"Don't worry. They will be fine along our side."

"Take good care of Mikoto." Our friend answered. "In a way, she's my little sister."

"And the only soulled one besides you and Kuja. Don't worry. We'll make a fine leader out of her. Now …" He sighed. "We'll have to prepare ourselves."

Aunt Aria nodded.

"All of our available supplies are yours to take. Do whatever you must to defeat Kuja an don't think twice about asking us if something's amiss."

Zidane nodded.

"Thank you. By the way, where is Vritra?"

Aunt raised a brow.

"Vritra?"

"Kuja's silver dragon. But now that Silver has returned in Gaia, Vritra has stopped obeying Kuja and follows him instead."

Aunt looked at Silver.

"So you are Kuja's son. Interesting."

We started to talk about various things and, as the sun was setting, Vritra returned. Silver ran at him and they started to talk. The man turned to us.

"Looks like we'll need your bows. According to Vritra, three flights of silver dragons keep the entrance to the core of the world. Breaking through the Invincible will be hard."

"And in what can our bows help?" Uncle asked. "This will be an aerial fight. Unless we climb the Iifa Tree, there are no ways our arrows will reach the dragons."

Silver grinned.

"Not all the silver dragons have sided with Kuja. At least two flights will come by the night. You guys will just have to ride them."

Uncle and Aunt's eyes went wide.

"You want us to ride dragons?"

"Why not? The silver dragons are semi-intelligent. In Terra, before the Decay, they were used as mounts and pets. They are used to taming and human company."

I looked at them. Why not? Uncle looked at Silver.

"How much dragons are there in a flight?"

"Two hundreds."

Seld frowned.

"Does the Invincible have weapons?"

"Yes. It is a warship. Thought the main weapon is the eyeball, it also has powerful cannons. I think there is even material like saddles and reins for the dragons."

Uncle nodded and we started to make battle plans.

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><p>Short little chapter that serves as a prologue to the final part of the big adventure. But will it really be the end? You'll see ...<p> 


	2. Can you feel the love tonight?

Here is the new chapter. Once more, I fee like it's been forever since I posted anything. What? Just a week? Well, let's pass on that one ... Anyway, enjoy.

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><p>Can you feel the love tonight?<p>

Later that night, Seld had organized a great welcoming feast for the Genomes. The rangers and black mages were present too. The Genomes, for a lack of other places, were offered to sleep in the Village Hall and the guest rooms. Before the looming threat, Aria had decided to perform a powerful Ritual to strengthen the Crystal. This would be an occasion to introduce the Genomes to the world as its new official inhabitants. To everyone's surprise, five hundred dragons came during the night. The rangers were first scared but, before the display of obedience of the creatures, the hunters got over it and started to caress the beasts. The Genomes, too, tried to interact with the dragons. They were even more successful than some rangers.

Silver watched the feast. Gaia was his world, the Genomes were his race and even thought his place was elsewhere, to him, a part of his heart would always remain in this planet. He was surprised to see Vritra come back with what looked like a female dragon. He caressed his friend's head.

"And who's that pretty lady, Vritra?"

'_This is my mate, Windfall.'_ The dragon answered. Silver caressed Windfall's head.

"Nice to meet you, Windfall."

'_The pleasure is mine, human. Vritra told me a lot about you.'_ She shook her wings. _'I am the lead feather of the Cloud Squadron, the fastest silver dragon's flight.'_

'_Windfall is a leader in the mind.'_ Vritra explained. _'She is fiercely independent and doesn't take well to be bossed around.'_

"Then I think I know who you will be paired with." Silver smiled.

'_Who?'_

Silver looked at Seld.

'_Exact. I chose him as my rider.'_

Silver chuckled.

"Take care, old friend. She has a temper to match."

'_I've been with her for six months. I know how to handle her. Good luck for tomorrow.'_

"You won't come along?"

'_I will, don't worry. I chose Faith, the summoner, as my rider.'_

Silver nodded. Suddenly, from the shadow, a person appeared. Silver froze.

"Selene?"

Selene was a beautiful woman with long black hairs, almond green eyes and the softest face ever. Her ears were long and pointed, meaning the girl was an elf. She was wearing a white and blue dress.

"How did you come here?" Silver asked. The woman smiled.

"The same way you did. I asked the gods."

Silver caressed the woman's face and hugged her. Zidane came at that moment.

"Hey Silver! Wait, who's that chick?"

"My girlfriend." The man simply answered. Zidane whistled.

"Pretty hot."

Silver looked at Selene.

"What are you going here?"

"Spending time with you before you go and fight your father. As for how I know that, I just listened to what people were saying."

Silver chuckled.

"You're planning on spending the night here?"

"No, I just came to wish you good luck. Come back, please."

"I will, don't worry. As soon as everything's settled, I'll go back in Eä and we will officially be together. My love …"

Selene chuckled and dropped a kiss on the man's lips. Silver closed his eyes.

"I'll be back soon. One thing about Eä's time flow is that if someone's in another world, the time flow adjusts to that world's time flow. I'll only be away for some days … in both worlds."

"I'm counting on you. Everything's already planned for the ceremony."

"I better hurry, then."

"Not at the expense of victory."

The woman disappeared in the darkness of the woods and Silver sighed. Right. If he wanted to marry Selene, he better come back alive. He went to the party. The Genomes seemed curious about everything and the rangers did the best to give them understandable answers. The black mages, with their more simple way to see things, also interacted with them, which led to some funny cases. Food seemed to especially intrigue them. Mikoto, the female Genome Zidane had called his younger sister, was talking with Seld. Finally, the lights slowly went out. The Ritual was beginning.

A man came on the platform and began talking.

"A light has gone out in the infinite universe. A star has faded as a world died beyond the sky. Cry, people of Gaia, for a life is gone."

The chorus answered.

_Rest in peace, fallen world.  
>Your heart is broken but your children are safe.<em>

The man spoke again.

"Indeed they are. Mighty Gaia, out All-Mother, welcome in your womb those lost children of Terra. Give them a home in your blessed arms and adopt them as your own, for their mother is now gone."

The chorus replied.

_Welcome, Genomes, among the races of Gaia.  
>May our Mother bless you all.<em>

"But our Mother is now under terrible threat." The man remarked. "A man has come, seeking to break Mother's shining heart."

The chorus growled with anger.

_We are the rangers!  
>We cannot accept that!<em>

"Indeed we can't." The man said. "And this is why we will sing and dance for her tonight. Come Spring and Summer, Autumn and Winter! Pray for our Mother whose heart is threatened by the madness of one!"

Aria came, dressed in her green and golden dress. She span and twirled, carried by a light spring breeze. The Genome's eyes went wide as music played to accompany her moves. The man, who acted as the narrator, stayed aside. Sari then came in her yellow and orange dress. Aria went out, leaving the younger dancer step on the platform. Sari was good. Seeing her dance, one could easily imagine a warm summer's day. Faith took Sari's place. Her dress was red with a small touch of blue. Her slow and melancholic dance clearly told of the grey sky that shrouded the autumn, yet her grace was similar to that of falling leafs. Finally, taking her place was Dagger in her full Shiva Set. Her dance was beyond words. At least half of the spectators forgot to breathe for some time, Zidane included. Especially Zidane. The four season dancers joined on the stage and began dancing in perfect harmony. One by one, people got on their feet and started to either join the chorus of singers or dance alongside the four. It was breathtaking.

The black mages watched in awe, unable to react. Slowly, some started to join their voices to the chorus while other started to dance in their own clumsy way. Mikoto abruptly rose and started to sing in old Terran. Her words were different from those of the chorus, yet their meaning was the same. Other Genomes joined their voices to hers, at first shyly but then with more assurance. The other danced too. It was different from that of the rangers of the rangers and the black mages, but once more, the meaning was the same. Slowly, the three chorus and songs joined and, as the moon reached its zenith, the three races were together in a perfect harmony. This is when it happened. A surge of magic stronger than anything the world had ever known swept over the land. It didn't stop at Magdalene Forest or the Outer Continent. It was felt from everywhere in Gaia. A wave of pure white magic swept across the world and through the Mist, countering its nefarious influence and strengthening the world to its core.

Kuja felt it. He felt the surge of magic as he entered the Crystal World and saw the core of the world. Gaia's Crystal shone suddenly with a blinding light and the two jeweled rings that encircled it generated an unshakable shell. Kuja growled. Curse those fools! He would destroy the Crystal and a little white magic was not stopping him. He began casting his spells, wearing out the Crystal's defenses.

Up on Gaia's surface, couples slowly formed. The wave of white magic had the side effect of encouraging conception. In other words, there were often mini baby booms nine months after a Ritual. Silver watched as Vritra and Windfall took flight and roared in the sky. They flew together in a very acrobatic mating, causing the man in black to sigh. In Eä, uniting with someone was as good as marrying him. A chance he never went that far with Lucy … He smirked deviously as Si'Nai and Sari took off to the dancer's home, soon followed by Steiner and Beatrix. Other couples formed and went to their home. What amused him was that neither the Genomes nor the black mages or the children, understand those under sixteen, were affected by that side effect. Zidane and Dagger were one of the last to leave. Knowing the village would be a bad place to find some sleep, he decided to head for Tamassa alongside the black mages and Genomes.

(Warning: M-rated part.)

Zidane and Dagger rolled on the bed, passionately kissing each other. Zidane's hands ran on the summoner's body as he undressed her, his breath warm and his tail nervously swinging. Dagger was quick to take off his fur coat and his white shirt, her hands lowering to his waist as she unbuckled the belt. The clothes fell down the bed as Zidane's lips explored his love's throat. Balling her hand in his hairs, Dagger let the other mess with the thief's golden and silky fur, increasing his lust and desire for her. They were now kneeling on the bed, Dagger on top and Zidane at the bottom. He caressed her, discovering the softness of her skin and the smooth shapes of her curves. His tail wrapped around her waist and Dagger couldn't help but caress it, her hand running at its start down her lover's back. She took off the ribbon that tied his hairs into a ponytail and they rolled on the bed. Now the thief was on top, looking at his love with emerald eyes. The princess claimed his lips in a deep and passionate kiss, her hands messing with even more haste in his fur. Zidane whined from the lust. It was almost too unbearable for him. As Dagger wrapped her legs around his waist, he suddenly broke free and rolled away.

"No … I can't do that."

Dagger rolled and looked at him with her chestnut eyes. The magic was broken but her body was still vibrant from their intense desire.

"Why not?"

Zidane looked at the ceiling, his chest rising and falling as he tried to catch up his breath. His fur was sticky from sweat and his eyes were wide. There was no smile on his face.

"I just … can't."

He closed his eyes as if he was in pain. Dagger crept up to him. Her hand ran in his fur but he pushed it back.

"Don't do that!"

"Why?"

Her eyes reflected her deception. She had so wanted him … Zidane saw them and sighed.

"I never went that far with girls."

"Is that what's stopping you? You don't know what to do?"

"Like you do … But no, that's not it. It's just that I never went as far as stealing a girl's honor. Flirting sure. Kissing and intimate caresses, sure, but this? Never."

"So what? Don't you love me?"

Zidane rolled over the girl and caressed her.

"I love you. But you are a princess and I'm just a simple thief. Even if we love each other, it will never work. Marriages between people that different are forbidden. So why go this far … when in the end we'll be apart?"

"You're wrong." Dagger retorted. "We'll never be apart." She caressed his cheek. "I will become yours, and if people are against that, then I don't want to be a queen anymore."

"You would drop everything just to be with me?"

"Would you like becoming a king better?"

Zidane had a short laugh.

"Why not?"

Dagger rolled over him and looked deep into his eyes.

"I love you."

"I love you too." Zidane answered.

They became one. All the feelings they had for each other, they let it loose in a single moment of eternity. Nothing else mattered, nothing else existed. They kissed, caressed, growled. He sang her name as a lullaby as she moaned from pleasure. The act was painful for Zidane. He had been conceived to destroy, not to create. As he possessed his love, fire rushed in his lower body and he howled in pain while Dagger felt nothing but pleasure. The pain eventually became a feeling so great, so ecstatic, that Zidane laughed. Emotions overflowed as he kneeled once more, Dagger on top of him. They kissed, frenzily caressed and, in a flash of light, both tranced. Trance was induced by a surge of emotions. It didn't mean those emotions had to be bad.

In any case, Zidane and Dagger united that night. Terran and Gaian, thief and princess, angel of death and summoner, they were so different … and yet the magic of the Ritual bound them with a bond not the greatest mage could break. They would be each other and no one else.

The rising sun found them tangled under the sheets, sound asleep in each other's arms. In the princess's womb, a new life was growing.

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><p>End of the M-rated part. Yeah, I did big on that one. But it needed to be done for the sequel. I hope you liked it. Next chapter, the Second Battle of the Iifa Tree.<p>

See you next time!


	3. The Second Battle of the Iifa Tree

Here is the new chapter. I hope I did the battle right. Also, the Genomes start to settle ...

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><p>The Second Battle of the Iifa Tree<p>

Needless to say the morning was awkward for more than one. Most rangers accepted what happened with resignation while others were more worried. But the rule was still there: when you spent the night with someone during a Ritual, you were as good as married to him … or her in some cases. However, all quickly remembered what was waiting for today, especially when they saw the many silver dragons waiting near the village. Sighing, they all went to their daily chores before getting ready for the battle.

Zidane rose up feeling in tip-top shape. Stretching, he looked at the lying girl besides him. Dagger was still sleeping, her arms wrapped around her chest, her head on his torso. Her breath was slightly tickling. The thief smiled, then remembered what happened during the night. He instinctively passed a hand on his lower body. Man did it hurt at first! It had been as if lava had invaded his masculinity and all the area around. But then the feeling had become beyond delicious … and they tranced. He remembered her glowing body covered with those mystic runes, lying in abandon in his arms. He remembered the bright pink glow of his fur, a fur that she had brushed and caressed, exciting him until he couldn't hold himself. Shame suddenly washed over him. This was wrong, this was totally wrong! How could he have abused of her the night before their final battle? Man …

Dagger opened her eyes on the finely muscled body of the man she loved. The young queen-princess smiled as she saw his thoughtful face. Creeping over him, she gave him a kiss. Zidane answered but Dagger could feel something was wrong.

"Zidane? Are you alright?"

"I am, don't worry."

The thief rose and looked at their discarded outfits.

"What have we done?" He asked out loud. Dagger wrapped her arms around him and put her head on his back.

"We had love."

"I know …"

Dagger smiled.

"Still thinking you did something bad?"

"Kinda. Don't be misunderstood, I really enjoyed it. But now that I look back to it …"

Dagger sighed.

"We talked about it tonight. Zidane, do you love me?"

The thief was surprised by the question.

"Of course, I am! Why so?"

"I love you too." The princess answered. "And if someone has something to say against it, he can go tell it to Bahamut."

Zidane froze. Now this was serious … He looked around. There was a small waterfall a little outside the village. Taking their clothes, the two went to clean themselves and returned to Selvaren. The Genomes, Black mages and younglings were back, as well as Vivi, Eiko, Silver, Freya and Amarant. The silver-haired man smiled.

"Had a good night?"

"Kinda …" Zidane replied. "What about yours?"

"Fine."

They gathered and looked as the Genomes were getting accustomed to their new homes. A female one went to a ranger who was holding a long elm bow and testing the string. The man looked at the girl. She was as tall as her brethren but held her hairs a little longer than them. Her clothes were a simple white shirt with large yellow spots over her breasts. Also, her skirt was stripped white and yellow.

"You are going to fight with that?" She asked.

"Yes. Do you know what it is?"

"I heard it was a bow."

"Exact. Wanna see how it works?"

The girl nodded. The man took the bow, notched an arrow, aimed to a sculpture and shot. The arrow flew right to its target. The girl raised a brow.

"Sounds nice. Can I try?"

The man was surprised but obeyed. He gave the girl the bow and helped her get in a stance. The girl notched an arrow, aimed and shot. The arrow landed near the man's one. He raised a brow.

"You seem good. If I come back from there, I should start teaching you.

"You're going to do that anyway."

"What?"

"Teaching us."

The man was surprised but nodded.

"Well, future student, my name is Elram. How about yours?"

The girl shook her head.

"I have none. No Genome has a name. Only the three Souled Ones have one."

The man frowned.

"Well, you're no more in your world. The rules are different here and they say every individual should have a name. Do you want me to give you one?"

"No."

The girl looked around. Her eyes were caught by the light in the sky. Looking at the yellow decorations on her clothes and the golden shine of her tail and hairs, she nodded.

"I will call myself 'Hikari'. It means Light, in Terran."

Elram raised a brow.

"Why such a name?"

The shadow of a smile appeared on 'Hikari's face.

"Because I like light."

The team slowly got ready to leave. The rangers were placing the saddles on the silver dragons and were making flight tests in preparation for the battle. As the team was heading for the Invincible, Mikoto came to find them.

"You haven't got a chance."

Everyone turned to the young Genome.

"You saw Kuja's powers. He destroyed a world by himself. You don't have a million in one chance of defeating him. You'll all die."

Everyone frowned at those words. Zidane looked at his 'younger sister', then at Silver. The silver-haired man nodded.

"Mikoto …"

Mikoto looked at him.

"You are … Kuja's son, right?"

"I am, and this is why I think we can manage to defeat him."

"How?" The girl asked. Silver frowned.

"Kuja always considered Ariane, my mother, as the only one able to rival his powers. I may look like my father, but my mind and powers are things I inherited from Mom. If she could defeat Kuja, why couldn't I? And let's not forget that Zidane was created to be superior to Kuja."

He looked at the team.

"When a man fights for his life or anything else he holds dear, he's as good as invincible. We won't let my father destroy Gaia, I promise on the Goddess's name."

Zidane smiled.

"Silver's right. Together, we're invincible! And we have our Eidolon Armors. With them, nothing can happen to us. Kuja will go down and Gaia will be fine, I know it. Let's go to the Iifa Tree. We won't let Kuja have his way!"

Mikoto growled but did nothing. Instead, she headed to the Village Hall. Those who stayed behind were already starting to build new homes for the Genomes and the tailed people were helping them. Soon, the Invincible took flight as Zidane ordered it so. Behind them, the rangers were following. Those who had summoning powers had activated them and a flock of eidolons were siding the small army. The Invincible was leading while the dragon flights were following behind in several V formations. Soon they reached the Iifa Tree. There was a purple sphere at its top. Si'Nai frowned.

"The entrance to the Core of the World."

"Be ready for the clash, guys …" Zidane frowned. "Show main armament!"

A screan appeared before him, showing the location of the different weapons the Invincible had. Zidane nodded.

"Good. We have two lines on the side, one big cannon on the front and rear and four smaller before us. Get 'em ready!"

The turrets rose. Suddenly, the silver dragons swarmed from the pink portal. Behind the Invincible, the rangers aimed their bows or got their spells ready. The eidolons, Bahamut included, readied their attack … and the battle started.

The clash was epic. Strongly held by their harnesses, the rangers were dancing on their mounts, shooting arrow over arrow to the dragons who answered with magic, claws and fangs. The mounted silver dragons were doing just as great, using their own spells against their brethren. The eidolons were fighting with all their might to support their summoners and even the Invincible was shooting any dragon that came too close. Silver sighed.

"I wish I could participate too. It's been long since I fought in a large-scale battle."

However, despite their best efforts, the rangers were being pushed back. A ranger unleashed a Scatter Shot that took down three silver dragons, only for one to pierce his back with its horn. Raging, his mount twisted with the assailant and managed to claw its wings, only for the other to snap his neck. Another used the proximity of the Iifa Tree to hurl a cloud of cutting leafs to two dragons, but the creatures retorted with Twister and the ranger fell to his own attack. Even the eidolons were getting outnumbered. The young Sylph fell to the claws of the dragons before being avenged by Mindy's Passado attack. Not that far, ten silver dragons combined their powers to stop the rampaging Doomstrain and tear its metal body apart. The dark Zalera couldn't fight the number of assailants that swarmed and was forced to retreat. Zidane growled.

"We're losing!"

Suddenly, out of the Mist, a shot touched a silver dragon, turning it into a sphere of molten flesh. And, from the clouds, the full Lindblum air fleet appeared. Dagger's eyes widened.

"Uncle Cid? How's that possible?"

Silver frowned.

"Maybe they grew anxious about the Mist and went to the Iifa Tree to check."

Silver's offer of an answer was totally possible. The airships began to mercilessly shoot the silver dragons, who couldn't best the strongly protected machines with their spells. In the Hilda Garde 3, Cid looked at the scene.

"All ships, clear a path to the Invincible! Go support the rangers and the eidolons!"

Baku was aboard, watching the fight.

"Can't let you guys steal the show by yourselves!"

Zidane grinned.

"Now's our chance! Let's lose them!"

The Invincible flew like the wind to the portal, only for a flight of silver dragons to follow. They were stopped by the appearance of the Red Rose ad the Alexandrian fleet.

The battle took a new turn. With the arrival of the Lindblum and Alexandrian fleet whose number, thought smaller, was compensated by their superior fire power, the tides turned and the silver dragons were thrown back. Siding the rangers, the three fleets slowly but surely encircled the silver dragons. The eidolons raged among the draconian ranks. Shiva had not enough of her two hands to shot ice and breathed it in large clouds that slowed her enemies down, leaving Diablo or Ramuh with the task of blasting them. Three silver dragons tried to assault the Hilda Garde 3, only for the Red Rose to shot them all. The rangers found a renewed courage and their arrows flew straight into their opponents. As Zidane and the others entered the pink portal, the last silver dragons fell in the empty space below.

When the blue airship entered the portal, a bright flash of light transported the team in a red-walled area. A single dragon was standing here, looking like a pallet-swapped silver dragon with a longer horn and long tufts of fur that flew from its shoulders. Silver smiled.

"Looks like the welcoming committee is here."

"It doesn't look that welcoming to me …" Freya retorted.

The fight was short. A good blast from Shinryu and Bahamut and nothing remained from the beast. Shinryu looked away.

'_Weakling.'_

The area was surrounded with white and the team reappeared in the Invincible. Outside, the scenery had changed. Si'Nai smiled.

"Let's see what's outside."

They used the teleportation device to get out of the ship and were greeted with a strange scenery. Before them was a towering castle while down the path they were on, all kinds of building were visible. Silver turned to Si'Nai.

"Do you know where we are?"

'_I know.'_ Shinryu answered. _'We are in the antechamber of the Crystal. We are in Memoria.'_

* * *

><p>And here it is. Next time, the team will be confronted with their memories. Also, yes, I borrowed summons from Final Fantasy XII.<p> 


	4. Wandering among memories

Here is the new chapter. Not much more before the series end and the sequel happens ...

* * *

><p>Wandering among memories<p>

Silver suddenly pointed the top of the gigantic building.

"Look!"

We all watched in awe as bricks fell from the sky to build the building. The silver-haired man frowned.

"The memories of the living go to this place and built it time after time. What a show!"

He was right. I had never dreamt of such a place before. Memoria was the antechamber of our world. It was Gaia's memory room. We walked to the castle, our weapons ready. The place seemed one can't be weirder and the monsters were strong, but none of our strength was to be underestimated. Silver himself proved to be surprisingly good as he combined ice magic and swordsmanship into very acrobatic attacks. We were walking a hanging pathway when a familiar figure appeared. I took my bow immediately.

"We meet again …"

It was Marilis, the guardian of the Fire Shrine! But her body was mutated to a more feral form. The snake body had switched from her hairs to her legs, making her look like a lamia and she had six arms, all holding a sharp saber. The snake woman snarled.

"I am one of the Chaos Guardians. Kneel before my power!"

Silver snarled.

"No can do, I don't bow before the likes of you."

I summoned a fiery arrow.

"I beat you once. Why not twice?"

Marilis cast Reflect on herself but Vivi smiled. Ramuh 's armor made him able to ignore those kind of buffs. Zidane turned to him.

"Vivi, focus and cast your most powerful spell on her!"

"Okay!"

Amarant frowned.

"Marilis was the guardian of the Fire Shrine. I bet she's still immune to fire spells."

"Not a problem!" Dagger retorted.

She span three times on herself while raising her scepter. In a flash of light, Shiva appeared.

"Freeze her to the bones!"

'_Will do!'_

Marilis ran at us but Silver, Beatrix and Steiner came in the way, each blocking two swords. Shiva closed her eyes and threw an icy spear over the monster. Marilis retreated and melted the attack. Zidane saw an opening and ran at sound speed to the unprotected chest. In vain. Marilis managed to block his attack, as well as Freya's jump and Amarant's flying chakram. Silver growled.

"She's got too many arms! We must cut them if we want to win!"

I smiled.

"I can do that! _Falcon Claws!_"

My two arrows flew and cut one of the monster woman's arms. Steiner ran and blocked a blow, only for him to grab an arm. Zidane ran and swung his dual blade, slicing it. Marilis jumped back and hissed.

"_Flame Slash!_"

Not thinking twice, I jumped before my old foe. The feather armor protected me from the flames but the swords cut deeply into me. It didn't matter as Eiko was already healing me. Silver jumped.

"_Winter's Blades!_"

Two blades of ice energy ran to our enemy and cut two arms. She howled and unleashed one more Flame Slash on us, only for Steiner to take the hit. The knight didn't finch, protected as he was by Odin's dark armor. Vivi smiled.

"Here I go! _Flare!_"

A violent burst of energy hit Marilis dead on. Stunned and weakened by the spell, she couldn't do a thing when Beatrix and Freya cut her remaining arms. Shiva achieved her with an icicle.

"Not that hard." Silver simply said. I turned to him.

"Went through worse?"

"Way worse, actually. Maybe I'll tell you later."

We went in a room and were surprised to see Alexandria's castle between the columns. Before our eyes, the disastrous battle of Alexandria unfolded. Silver shook his head.

"I don't know what you saw, but I saw none of it."

'_Because it isn't part of your memories.'_ Ayden explained. _'You weren't here during the battle, hence the fact you can neither remember nor see it.'_

Zidane suddenly shivered. He seemed to listen intensely before shaking his head. I looked at him.

"Zidane, is there something wrong?"

"Yeah …" The thief frowned. "Garland was explaining something to me."

Freya raised a brow.

"He's still alive?"

"Nah, I don't think so."

Silver frowned.

"Sometimes, in Eä, a soul is allowed to return among the livings for some time, mainly because they have some unfinished business here. Maybe that's the same with Garland. His soul's still with us because he still has some business to do with you."

We kept walking and reached a stormy place. There, something weird happened. Indeed, Zidane was able to witness Dagger's escape from Madain Sari alongside her mother. Garland explained something more to Zidane and we finally reached he giant eye of the Invincible. Stairs were leading to it. We went to it but jumped back as a three-headed dragon appeared before us. Steiner growled.

"This is the guardian of the Wind Shrine, Tiamat!"

The dragon snarled.

"So you have defeated Marilis. For Tiamat, there is only victory!"

"Or death …" Zidane countered.

The fight was strangely easier than the other. Steiner protected us against the wind attacks while Vivi focused his magic. Silver and Beatrix cut one of the heads, leaving our little friend Flare the last one. This done, we kept going. We walked across ruins that reminded us of Lindblum after Atomos's assault. Further on, the place was intact and looked more like Alexandria. Passed the arch of the city, the path entered space and became twisted. Feeling sick, Vivi grabbed Silver's hand. The man kept him close to him, his eyes on the lookout. Then we saw something strange in the starry sky.

"Two moons colliding? No. they look more like planets. Why does this look so familiar?"

Garland said something to Zidane. Our friend nodded.

"That's right. I saw it in Oeilvert."

Garland spoke again and Silver sighed.

"I wish I could hear what he says. Sounds interesting."

Entering the castle at the end of the road led to a place whose exit was cut by a waterfall. When we passed them, we found ourselves underwater. The place was incredibly realistic. One could even see fishes swimming past us! But in the end, it was all an illusion. Freya grabbed her spear.

"I think I know who we will meet next …"

We nodded and reached stairs that led us above the water. Zidane frowned.

"So Gaia used to be just one big ocean."

"How do you know?" Eiko asked.

"I don't know. For some reason, it's in my memory. I wasn't even born at that time. It doesn't make sense. And I was born on Terra, not on Gaia, so how can this be in my memory?"

Vivi frowned.

"It's in my memory, too. Gaia used to be covered by water."

"I'm betting a similar feeling as well." Freya nodded.

Silver frowned.

"According to the gods' teachings, thought it was Dana, the deity of Life and Nature who created the eans, in other worlds born not from magic, life was born from water. This is why water is always seen as the cradle of life. This is where all that lives come from."

We climbed the stairs and Beatrix looked at Silver.

"You refer a lot to your gods. I can hardly believe Kuja's son is such a believer."

"Let's say Eä isn't called _'the land where men and gods walk side by side'_ for nothing. Our gods do exist and we can see them anytime of the day. That's why being an atheist isn't well-seen here. If you profess you don't believe in the gods, they will be quicker than you think to prove you wrong. Usually they will appear before you and scold you. If you did something worse, be ready to suffer because the gods don't exactly like incredulous ones …"

"I can believe that …" Zidane joked. Silver smiled.

"Believe me, their powers are fairly real. Especially when they target you."

We climbed the stairs until we met our new opponent. It was the guardian of the Water Shrine, Kraken. The octopus-like man stood before us.

"I am the 'Water Chaos', Kraken. Your presence is forbidden!"

Silver frowned.

"Really? Because we're going to pass anyway!"

Ice ran over his arms and his hands. Before he could react, Kraken had thrown a burst of ink in his eyes. He backed up growling.

"Dammit! It sticks!"

I used Falcon Claws to cut one of the tentacles while Zidane managed to cut the second one. Eiko used a spell to clean Silver's eyes, earning a Thanks from the man. He ran at the monster, only for him to cast a spell.

"_Freeze!_"

I froze. Silver was going to be paralyzed! Or so I thought, and I got it wrong. Silver froze for a moment before the spell passed in his skin and reached his hand.

"_Freeze_ yourself!"

He unleashed a violent burst of ice that stuck Kraken. Vivi didn't lose time and combined his powers with Steiner.

"Thunder Sword!"

The thunder powered weapon broke the ice, shattering the monster inside. Freya turned to Silver.

"How can you do that?"

Silver looked away sheepishly.

"Well … It's kinda complicated. In my world, there are ten gods ruling over the elements. Those gods are tasked not only of making sure the elements don't ravage the world, but also to choose people to receive their powers and act as keepers of Eä among the different races. Those people are called Guardians and I happen to be the Ice Guardian, just like my mother was the Fire one. Because Mom had a powerful creature sealed inside of her, the beast's magic power passed into me and combined with my ice powers. Actually, I am the most powerful Guardian Eä had ever seen, to the point I can not only control ice at will but also become immune to it."

"Does that mean you can't feel cold," Dagger asked.

"Yep. However, being powerful has some drawbacks."

He lowered his head.

"The first drawback is during the Awakening, the moment a Guardian's power awakens. My powers were so great that no amount of Guardians could tame them. I was forced to run from my home and my friends, so that my magic outbursts would harm no one. In the end, it required a Titan-King to tame them."

Beatrix raised a brow.

"A Titan-King?"

"An old god. Telling you the whole story would be too long so I'll save it for now. Anyway, the second drawback is that when I enter Rage, the ean equivalent of Trance, I become extremely destructive. Because, contrary to Trance, when one enters Rage, he loses his mind. That's why I have to carry a small talisman that helps me remain myself during rage."

Steiner nodded.

"I understand. You may be incredibly powerful, but those powers give you some serious responsibilities."

"Yep, although 'responsibilities' isn't the exact word …"

We reached the end of the stairs, crossed a messed up giant clock and reached a platform. A latter was to take us to the top while a big fire sphere stood afar. Zidane whistled.

"Geez … That's one big fireball."

"Could this be a moon?" Steiner asked.

Garland spoke and Zidane frowned.

"That's Gaia?"

Garland spoke again.

"What's above the ladder?" Zidane asked.

Garland answered something that made Zidane frown. When asked, he growled.

"We'll see for ourselves."

So we climbed the ladder to a strange gazebo, or an observatory depending how you looked at it. No long after we entered, the walls and ceiling disappeared to leave us among the stars. Silver shivered.

"So that's how what's beyond the sky looks like."

"Can't you simply say Space?" Eiko asked. Silver rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry. No ean crossed the sky before. This is a forbidden place. The few who tried got severely punished … Wait, what is this?"

We looked as a tall undead-like monster appeared. Zidane growled.

"The guardian of the Earth Shrine …"

The creature looked at us.

"I, the Earth Chaos Lich, commend your feat. But your life ends now."

And he meant it. The creature had a vast array of death-based attacks. Fortunately, since he was an undead monster, I weakened him with Regen and Eiko and Dagger made short work of him with Phenix and Curaga. Once the fight was over, we went to the edge … and jumped.

"There's nothing! Is this it? Is there nothing else?"

Garland spoke and Zidane had a grim smile.

"That's easy for you to say …"

And so we walked among the stars. It was the end of Gaia's memory. A white light appeared before us and Garland's voice was heard by everyone.

'_You have entered a new realm. There are no worlds. There is no more space. Follow your memory, your original memory, and march forth …'_

Zidane looked up.

"Garland, what exactly is our memory? Why can I remember other people's experience and events that happened before my time?"

Garland didn't answer. Zidane frowned.

"Garland, please tell me!"

'_Do not limit memory to just one individual's experience from birth. That is only the surface. Every life born from this world, whether natural or artificial, requires a parent. And that parent also requires a parent. Life is connected, one to another. If you trace the root of all life, there exists one source. The same can be said for memory. All life constitutes an intelligence that holds memory beyond experience. Memory isn't isolated within individuals. It is an accumulation of generations of memories that continues to evolve. You can say that memory and evolution go hand in hand. But most life forms do not understand the true nature of memories, which explains why most memories never cross paths.'_

Zidane nodded.

"So, what am I gonna find by tracing back our roots?"

I was the one to frown.

"We will find the Crystal."

Everyone turned to me. I looked at them.

"Remember Shinryu's tale? Gaia's core is a drop of the Great Dragon's blood. It is the Crystal, the source of all the life in Gaia. We rangers have known of its existence for ages and can use nature magic because of our link with it."

Garland seemed satisfied.

'_Exact, young ranger. You are on your own now. Zidane, Silver … take care of Kuja. And protect the Crystal. Farewell …'_

And so, Garland faded forever. The white light engulfed us and took us to the core of the world. This is how we entered the Crystal World.

* * *

><p>I like Garland's little explanation about life, memory and the origins of the world. Well, here it is for now.<p>

See you soon!


	5. To save a world

Here is (almost) the final chapter. Two more and the series end. Well, time to enjoy.

* * *

><p>To save a world<p>

The light faded, leaving us in a crystalline world. I watched in reverence.

"Here we are. The Heart of Gaia."

Zidane frowned.

"Let's go."

We walked on the crystalline pathway. White lights acted as teleportation pods, leading us further and further into the core of our world. To our surprise, the only monsters we met were crystal versions of the four guardians.

"Those things are but the remnants of the monsters we faced." Silver frowned. "Once they're gone, nothing will remain of them."

The fights were strangely easy. We crossed a place dominated by a single white crystal and were transported to another where an orange sky was thundering in anger. The crystal formations looked like amber and onyx pillars floating in the void. Another one looked like we were walking above a crystalline sea. Then we finally entered the Great Crystal's room.

It was an orange column leading to a purple circular platform. Two crystal circles turned like giant clocks as two rays of energy shone and crossed at a single point. The Crystal was here in all its glory, shining with a white light and spinning on itself. In my life, I had never witnessed a more magnificent spectacle than that of Gaia's shining heart. Kuja was here too, waiting for us.

"Nice of you to come." He said with a smile. "I'm surprised you beat the four Chaoses that I created from the Crystal's memory. But … you're too late. Take a good look. Isn't it beautiful? It's the original Crystal. This is where it all began. The birthplace of all things. Once I destroy it, everything will be gone. Gaia, Terra, the universe … everything. Your lives and memories to, of course! Hahahahaha!"

"Shut up!" Zidane angrily shouted. "The only thing that's gonna be gone is you! I'll take you out right now!"

Kuja frowned.

"Hmph. You honestly think you can beat me? Even if you do, Gaia's already doomed. Its assimilation by Terra has already begun, and the Iifa Tree will incite a cataclysmic destruction of Gaia. It's all over for you and your friends. See? I win either way."

"It doesn't matter." Dagger retorted. "Even if Gaia is assimilated, the planet will remain, and we'll start over to make a new home."

Vivi wave his wand.

"Kuja, you're nothing but a coward! If you're gonna die, leave us out of it!"

"Why should the world exist without me? That wouldn't be fair. If I die, we all die! Zidane, you will be my first sacrifice!"

"Father, wait!"

Silver jumped before us, arms open.

"Father, please, cease that at once!"

Kuja raise a brow.

"Silver?"

Silver held his hands.

"Please, Father, don't destroy Gaia."

"Why would I?" Kuja retorted. "I am dying."

"You can be saved."

We all raised a brow. Silver explained.

"Eä is far more advanced than Gaia. If I take you here, I'm sure I will find a way to extend your lifespan and bring you back to your original self, the self that fell for Mother and conceived me."

Kuja seemed somehow touched by those words.

"You would do this for me, even after all I have done?"

"You are my Father. I understand the others' desire to kill you, but all I want is for you to be saved. Please, come with me. Let me take you to Eä and cure you."

His eyes were deep blue and held a pleading look. His hands were before him as if he was offering something to Kuja. I remembered all that Dagger went through with Queen Brahne, her own mother. I could we that Dagger somehow stared to relate to Silver. Kuja closed his eyes.

"… I can't do that."

Silver gasped.

"Why?"

"Because I was created to destroy. It is written in me, I am a destroyer. I'm sorry, Silver. I can't accept your offer."

Silver lowered his head. Through his silvery hairs, I could see tears running over his cheeks.

"I see … Forgive me, Father. I never wanted this to happen."

He drew his two blades.

"I wished I could save you somehow, but you give me no choice. You want to destroy Gaia? Fine. But you will have to kill me first!"

His voice was filled with sorrow and pain. I could only guess how badly his heart was aching inside. A giant monster appeared before us. It looked like a leg-less wyvern with a demon's head, all colored in shades of brown. Silver gave it a ferocious look.

"Take care of it. The only one I want to face is Father."

Nodding, we took our weapons. Eiko's reflect was enough to protect us from the Meteor spell. Freya cast Dragon Crest on it, Vivi hurled Flare, I shot a Power Arrow and the others sliced the beast into pieces. Kuja frowned.

"I can't believe you beat Deathguise. Do you really think you can beat me?"

His eyes fell on Silver. The man was surrounded in an ice-cold aura that made us all shiver. His eyes themselves were icy blue. Kuja growled.

"Well, my time is almost up. Time to die, everyone!"

Faster than we could react, he sent Flare over us. Eiko had just the time to cast Reflect again before it bounced on the barrier. The following fight was epic. Kuja had grown more powerful than we ever thought he would. He dispelled our Reflect with a wave of the hand and attacked us with multiple spheres of light. The fastest of us got out of the way as he span. Eiko took her flute and started to play. Knowing buffs would be useless given the Dispel spell, she instead focused on healing us alongside Dagger. Amarant threw his Flame Chakram to Kuja but the man dodged and neared the mercenary. Parrying a claw swing, he summoned a big orb. The orb exploded on Amarant's face, sending him reeling.

Freya jumped on him but Kuja simply took the pole of the spear and sent her flying on a wall. He then glided over her. Freya managed to cast a wave of energy toward him but Kuja simply broke it with his glowing spheres. Five Holy orbs hit her straight in the chest. He turned only to see Amarant back on his feet and running. Growling, Kuja jumped in his back. Amarant turned … and fell as our enemy blasted Flare in his eyes. He then turned fast and sent three rings of Holy in Eiko's chest. Beatrix growled in anger and ran at him, her blade filled with magic. Kuja jumped and dodged the strike. I growled.

"He's too fast!"

"I'll take care of it!" Vivi replied. "_Slow!_"

Bad idea. The spell worked, but Kuja retaliated with a powerful Holy spell. Silver's eyes widened as Vivi fell.

"Anghra dammit!"

His hands were surrounded with ice in a blink. He started to shot it to his father, rage filling his eyes. Beatrix smiled. So did I. We closed our eyes and began healing the others. However, Kuja saw it and closed his eyes.

"_Firestorm!_"

A wave of flame engulfed us. Silver tried to counter it with his ice magic but he instinctively jumped out of the way when the wave neared. Zidane managed to get Dagger out, but the others weren't that lucky. Steiner jumped in pain as the fire heated the armor. Before Silver could cool him, Kuja had shocked him to death using Thundaga. I looked around. My armor had protected me from the flames, Silver was safe on a nearby pillar and Zidane was holding Dagger close. The others were on the ground. Dagger's eyes narrowed.

"Alright, he asked for it!"

Her body began to glow and, in a flash of light, she tranced. Zidane's Moon Pendant reacted, causing him to trance as well. I frowned.

"Take care of Kuja. I'll try to heal them."

I should have kept my mouth shut. The word 'heal' showed me as the next target as Kuja had started to hit the healers before taking the others. He violently grabbed me and slammed me on the ground. My head hit the crystal and I lost my senses for awhile. I eventually got them back, only to see Kuja trading blows with Dagger, who was riding Bahamut, Zidane, who was using his energy attacks, and Silver, who used his ice magic. I could see through my mask that Kuja spotted several cuts, some of them starting to bleed seriously. Bahamut blasted spheres of Flare toward Kuja who was hit by one. Zidane snarled and bounced on a column. His dagger pierced Kuja's abdomen and owned a howl of pain. Finally, Silver drew a line across his chest and gathered his magic.

"_Eternal Winter!_"

A violent burst of ice engulfed Kuja. The man finally got out of the ice shroud. Blood was falling from his mouth and his pale skin was smeared with warm red liquid that faded in his crimson fur. He looked at us, the remaining fighters.

"I'm gonna die anyway. I won't have to be afraid anymore … but I'm not gonna die alone! You're all coming with me!"

Silver's eyes widened.

"Father, _NO!_"

Too late. Kuja focused his remaining power in a single attack.

"_Ultima!_"

The deadly purple beams of energy invaded the place. Silver jumped before us and unleashed all of his power in the shape of an icy dome.

"_Ice Shield!_"

It was useless. The beams hit us and broke the shield, causing a shockwave that sent us all flying. Zidane held Dagger protectively around him. Silver shielded himself with his arms and looked as Kuja fell in the void below, thrown there by the shockwave. Then everything went white.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Zidane and Silver standing weakly. Through my half-closed eyes, I could see the panorama had changed entirely. The sky was orange and cloudy and we were no more on the purple crystal platform. We were on black rock. Zidane frowned.

"What happened to the crystal? Where is this?"

A voice answered that couldn't be described. It was old and young, far and close, soft and loud.

'_You stand before the final dimension, and I am the darkness of eternity'_

"Who are you?" Silver asked weakly.

'_All life bears death from birth.' _The voice simply said. _'Life fears death, but lives only to die.'_

Silver noticed that I was awake and helped me reach Zidane on the edge of the platform. A kind of coliseum was in the sky.

'_It starts with anxiety. Anxiety becomes fear. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. The only cure for this fear is total destruction. Kuja was a victim of his own fear. He concluded he could only save himself by destroying the origins of all things: the Crystal.'_

"What the heck are you talking about?" Zidane snarled. "Why are you telling me all this?"

'_Now the theory is undeniable.'_ The voice simply said. _'Kuja proved it. All things live to perish. At last, time has uncovered this truth. Now, it is time to end this world.'_

Silver snarled.

"Never! As long as I breathe and move, I will kill anyone threatening Gaia! I promise!"

"What the heck do you mean by that?" Zidane asked the voice.

'_I exist for one purpose. To return everything back to the zero world, where there Is no life, and no crystal to give life. In a world of nothing, fear doesn't exist. This is the world that all life desires.'_

I growled.

"Who the hell do you think you are? You're not ending anything! Never, not as long as we have the will to live!"

'_Foolish creatures.' The voice retorted. 'Your fears have already deluded you. One day, you will choose destruction over existence as Kuja did. When he sought to destroy the Crystal, the purpose of life ended. Now come … Enter the zero world that you desire.'_

Zidane looked up.

"No! We'll destroy you and prove you wrong! And through our memories, future generations will see that we can overcome any fear!"

Strength suddenly left us and we crumbled on the stone. Zidane still tried to stand.

"We can't give up now … We have to fight together. Even if we lose, it doesn't matter. Our memories will live on inside others. So even if we are born to die, I'm not afraid. I'm gonna live!"

Silver closed his eyes.

"The body dies and returns to the world. The soul lives on to be reborn in a new life. I don't fear death, for I know it is just a temporary state until I am reborn."

I looked at the sky.

"I don't care if I die, as long as my death serves to protect all of those I care for. Come, whoever you are! You can break my body, but you will never shatter my soul!"

We fell on the ground. Soon, a voice echoed. It was that of others. I heard Amarant say "Don't screw up." I felt his life energy pass on me and rose. The others were lying here, seemingly dead. I heard Eiko say "Promise me you'll win!" before passing her energy to Vivi. Vivi rose and looked at me. Beatrix passed her energy to Dagger, her voice saying "You must prevail!" Dagger rose to see Steiner give his strength to Silver. "A knight never gives up." Finally, Freya passed her energy to Zidane. "I leave everything in your hands." The five of us looked at one another. Suddenly, everything faded and we found ourselves back on the stone platform.

"We've come too far to lose now." Zidane frowned. "Let's just wrap this up and go home. All of us."

A light carried us in the coliseum and we finally saw the being that threatened Gaia. It was blue and human in shape. Its arms were crossed and ten dark blue eyes were over its face. The legs were bound together in a strange mess circled by two bluish crystal rings, a third serving as a halo to its head. Finally, two dark blue, demonic wings spread from its shoulders and big claws the same color fell by its side.

"Give it all you got!" Silver ordered.

It wasn't needed. Dagger summoned Bahamut as Zidane focused. I saw his pendant glow and finally understood its true effect. The jewel served as a storage room for his powerful emotions and, when he wanted to enter Trance, all he had to do was tapping into it. Now in trance, Zidane unleashed a barrage of energy runes. The creature retaliated with a blue shockwave Zidane was fast enough to avoid. Vivi waved his hands and Flare burst from it, hitting the being with full force. Bahamut followed with Megaflare and Silver and I chained Winter Blades with Poison Arrow. The creature growled. The rings around his leg-like limb began to spin and soon, we were caught in a cross formed by Gaia and four smaller moons. The energy emitted by the formation was so intense that I thought we would fall. But we didn't.

As soon as the celestial cross attack faded, leaving us all on our knees, a light glowed in my body. I closed my eyes.

"Shinryu …"

The Dragon God wanted to fight too. I turned to Dagger who nodded and began to cure us. Since our battle against Kuja, I couldn't use my Nature Magic anymore, which left me with my eidolons only. I performed the complex summoning ritual and, finally, in a violent burst of light, Shinryu appeared. This seemed to disturb greatly the being.

'_Shinryu. The Celestial Dragon himself has appeared.'_

'_Bringer of Oblivion …'_ The dragon growled. _'I won't let you destroy that which took me so long to build!'_

He opened his crystal wings and his light bathed over us, healing us in our fullest. He then turned to the creature.

'_Meet your end. Gaia isn't to fall to the likes of you.'_

Knowing what he was about to do, we all gathered our strongest spell.

"_Grand Lethal!_"

Zidane flew like the wind, his blades mercilessly tearing the being apart.

"_Megaflare!_"

His heart bound to Dagger's raging one, Bahamut threw a powerful beam of energy.

"_Doomsday!_"

A giant meteor fell over the blue creature, worsening the already present wounds.

"_Power Shot!_"

My arrow glowed with a blue flame and pierced the being's chest.

"_Eternal Winter!_"

Silver's violent ice burst froze it to the core. With a snap from the man, the ice shattered. Finally, Shinryu opened his mouth and his wings shone like a rainbow. The energy gathered in the wings focused in the mouth, readying an attack to put Bahamut's Megaflare to shame.

'_Ultima Flare!_'

The rainbow blast engulfed the being, finishing him. As its voice echoed one last time, the eidolons faded and we were teleported away. And yet, we could hear it say:

'_Why defy your fate? Is the will to live that powerful? This is not the end. I am eternal. As long as there is life and death …'_

And that was all. When the teleportation spell faded, we were all alive and back on Gaia. Before us, the Iifa Tree was raging.

* * *

><p>Talk about a heated climax. I am especially proud of Kuja's battle scene, less from Necron's one. I took some of his moves from Dissidia to make it more intersting. How was it?<p>

Next chapter is where the first sequel starts. Why? You'll see.

See you soon.


	6. Epilogue I: Forgiveness

Here s the new chapter. yes, the Epilogue is in two parts. The first shows what happened to Kuja, Zidane and Silver and the second is from Si'Nai's POV, as he tells what happened after that. I should post it during the week ... Enjoy!

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><p>Epilogue I: Forgiveness<p>

The Iifa Tree's roots were raging and trashing before us. Zidane was the first to rise before the spectacle, catching Dagger along the way.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah … But look at what's happening."

I frowned.

"So what Kuja said was true. The Iifa Tree is beginning its violent reaction."

Vivi shivered.

"What's gonna happen?"

"I don't know. But it doesn't look good."

The Hilda Garde suddenly appeared and landed before us. Zidane smiled.

"Looks like Cid came to rescue us."

The Regent appeared before us.

"Cid!"

The man sighed.

"Thanks heaven, you're all safe. Come quickly! We don't have much time!"

We all went to board the airship when Zidane and Silver stopped and looked around. Zidane cursed.

"Dammit …"

"What's wrong?" Dagger asked.

"Why don't you go on ahead?" Our friend asked. "We'll catch up with you all later. Silver and I have some things to take care."

"What?"

Silver frowned.

"He's still alive."

"He can't be …"

The others came back. Steiner growled.

"What are you two doing?"

Zidane turned to him.

"Steiner, take care of Dagger."

"What? What do you mean by that?"

Zidane lowered his head.

"Kuja's still alive. I can't just leave him and Silver even less."

"This is ludicrous." The knight growled. "Silver's case is understandable, but just because you two are from the same planet doesn't mean …"

"No, that's not the reason."

Eiko growled.

"Come on, Zidane! Why are you doing that?"

"Because … I might have done the same thing if I were in his shoes. I probably would've fought against you guys and wreaked havoc in Gaia like he did. I know it sounds crazy but I know, deep down inside, I have to do this."

"You're not crazy." I frowned. "But what you're about to do is dangerous."

"I just can't leave him." He retorted. "There's no way I could live with myself. I'm going."

"You're making a big mistake." Steiner warned.

"Maybe … but we all have to make big decisions in life sometimes, right Silver?"

The man smirked. His big decision occurred on Terra, where he decided to fight his father. I knew Kuja was dying, and that was why Silver was going to look for him. Because he wanted to talk to him one last time and, maybe, apologize. Zidane looked at us.

"For me, now's that time. I have to ace up to it, just like Vivi did when he confronted his fears to find out about himself. That was a big decision for Vivi."

The little mage straightened his hat.

"I don't know about that. I don't think it was really a big deal."

"That's what you think. But I might not be doing this if it weren't for you. You definitely taught me to take life more seriously."

Freya crossed her arms.

"Well, you're obviously not going to change your mind, so I'm coming with you."

Steiner nodded.

"The principle of knighthood requires that one assists his comrade in time of need. I shall accompany you as well!"

"And I will follow you too." I said. "I was here when this journey started. Now I'd like to see how it ends."

"Wait a minute." Silver stopped. "This is Zidane's moment. You better not interfere with it. The time for you to decide will come eventually but not today. Anyway, I heard you have more important things to worry about. Burmecia, Alexandria, Selvaren …"

Zidane smiled.

"Well said, Sil. You guys better go back. This is something between Kuja, Silver and I."

Freya frowled.

"For once in your life, why can't you be honest?"

"Sorry but I can't …"

"I can't just walk away. It goes against my nature." Amarant cut him. "You're a real simpleton. Forget it, guys. There's no stopping this fool."

Cid appeared.

"What are you still doing out there? Get on-board right now!"

Amarant crossed his arms.

"Come on. Let's just leave them and get outta here."

Zidane rubbed the back of his head.

"That guys will never change. Alright! You heard the man! Get out of here before it's too late!"

Eiko hesitated a moment before shouting.

"Zidane, I love you! So you better come back!"

Beatrix looked at him.

"For the sake of the princess, you better come back to Alexandria quickly."

Freya crossed her arms.

"I can't believe you're doing this. You've changed, Zidane. 'Til we meet again."

Vivi straightened his hat.

"Zidane you've taught me another big lesson in life. Thanks. And Silver …"

Silver went to the mage and kneeled to his level.

"It was great seeing you again. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, little doll." Silver smiled. "I wish we can play more once I get back."

Vivi nodded and left. I looked at Zidane.

"Be safe, man. I'm not the only one who has people to return to."

I went to the deck to watch the rest unfold. Dagger went to Zidane. Steiner frowned.

"Princess, we must go."

Zidane looked at her.

"Dagger-I mean, Your Highness." He kneeled before her, looking at her in the eyes. "The abduction is over. I can't take you any further. I'm sorry for being so selfish."

"No." Dagger retorted. "You're not being selfish. You've done so much for us. If it weren't for you, I would've led a meaningless life. With you, I was able to see so much of the world and meet so many people! We faced many hardships too, but … I think I finally know what's important. I'm so fortunate to have met you! I'll never forget our trip together! Thank you, Zidane."

She turned away and remained silent. Then she finally spoke.

"Promise me one thing … Please come back."

Zidane rose and took her in his arms.

"I promise."

Smiling, Dagger kissed him, sealing a pact that would last forever. And I mean it. She and Steiner finally went on the airship and we left. In the orangish twilight, Zidane and Silver walked to the Iifa Tree.

_Normal POV_

Zidane and Silver went to the edge of the cliff. Zidane shouted.

"Kuja, can you hear me? I'm coming to get you!"

"You still have time." Kuja's voice went from the deep of the tree. "Forget about me and go."

"Just shut up and stay where you are! Silver's coming along."

Kuja was silent for a moment. Silver frowned.

"Alright. Here goes nothing. Hold on, Father. We're coming."

The roots raged with intensity, slowly destroying the area surrounding the Iifa Tree. When they threatened the spot, Zidane and Silver jumped. Silver unsheathed his blades and jumped on a wild root. Zidane followed and the two ran along, jumping, dodging the green and brown chaos around. They let one carry them deeper and Zidane could only admire the grace the black fighter showed. Each of his moves was nearing perfection. Eyes closed, Silver had a much focused look and seemed to be anticipating the roots' moves. Zidane couldn't say the same about himself. He almost slipped more than once and was saved by Silver's ice rope more than once. Finally, the collision of two masses of roots caused them to fall into a hole that led them deep within the tree. They finally saw Kuja, lying on a platform, dying. Zidane tried to reach the platform but his arms were too short. Silver summoned his ice wings but it was too late. Speed and gravity were the strongest and the two crashed a little below.

They woke up a few minutes later. Zidane looked at himself.

"Phew, still alive. I guess that was pretty crazy."

"Talk about it …" Silver growled. "Last time I did something that mad, it was running away from home on a pirate ship. Wait … No, I thing it was trying to cross the Godwall."

Zidane raised a brow.

"The Godwall?"

"The highest chain of mountains in Eä. The stone here is said to be alive." He raised his left sleeve, revealing a scar that ran along his biceps. "And hell it is …"

Zidane whistled.

"Nice one. Well, let's go find Kuja."

The two climbed along the vines and finally reached the platform. Kuja was here, seemingly asleep.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Kuja opened his eyes and turned his head to them.

"Zidane? Silver?"

The two jumped on the platform. Kuja frowned weakly.

"What are you doing here? I thought I told you to go."

"Wouldn't you do the same for us if you knew we were dying?"

Kuja was silent for a moment.

"Depends for who."

Silver had a half-smile and sat near his father. Kuja looked at the ceiling.

"Were your comrades able to escape?"

"Yeah." Zidane answered. "I knew you had something to do with it."

"I'm glad they made it."

"Yeah, well … it's our turn to get movin'."

Kuja closed his eyes.

"I don't deserve to live after all that I've done. I'm useless to this world."

Silver gasped.

"Dad, don't say that!"

Zidane nodded.

"Silver's right. No one's useless. You helped us escape, remember?"

Kuja sighed.

"After you guys beat me, I had nothing left … nothing more to lose. Then I finally realized what it means to live. I guess I was too late."

Silver shook his head.

"You weren't. They say you need to lose something to realize you had it. And anyway …" He took Kuja's hand in his own. "You still have me."

Kuja looked at his son and his eyes shone.

"You've grown so much since I last saw you. Even thought … you fought against me, I can't help but be proud of you."

"Yeah, sure."

Zidane smiled. Silver was truly the only thing Kuja had left. They were father and son and the thief knew the black fighter meant everything to his brother. Kuja smiled.

"Tell me about your life on Eä. I was always curious about your mother's home world."

Silver nodded and started speaking. He told of his life on the Floating Continent, home of the winged caladrias, and how he escaped with a pirate ship to explore the world. He remembered the storm they were caught in and how he felt in the sea, only to be saved and brought to the felians by a sea serpent. The cat-men raised him as a fighter and taught him the basics of the fighting style he used today. He recalled how felian mages were forbidden to use weapons and warriors to use magic. Not willing to give up one, Silver had left the desert for the grasslands of Romania. This is how his life started anew. He befriended a horse-like creature he called Wind and was reunited with his childhood friend, Lucy Sairen, who was now Lucy Malicia Daga. He told how he met Stellan again and how the man became his father and mentor. Then came his teenage days.

He remembered the violence of his Awakening and the pain he felt when he understood no Guardian could tame his powers. Saddened, he ran away to the north where the Titan-King Hraesvelgr of the Ice tamed his powers. Now a full-fledged Guardian, he returned to Remora and formed a small team with Lucy, the dark Thanata who was her sister by heart, and Adriel the monkey-like tree-walker, Guardian of the Wind. Kuja couldn't help but smile at the adventures the four had. Silver told him how he became a Shadow, a secret agent, and gained the power of the Old Shadows after he killed a Shadow Killer who pierced his heart and left a shard of dark metal in it. The shard merged with his body, awakening the latent Shadow genes inside of him. Finally, he told of how he met the beautiful Selene, an elf whose powers were akin to summoners. Zidane was smiling too.

"Looks like you had a great life." Kuja weakly said. "Give my wishes to your future wife and … be happy. Now, please, forgive me for what I've done."

Understanding his father was reaching his final moments, Silver held his hand to his forehead.

"I never held a grudge of any kind toward you, Father. But if this can bring you peace, I forgive you."

Tears were silently falling from his eyes. Zidane gasped as Kuja's head fell on the side.

"Farewell, everyone."

The thief jumped.

"Kuja! Don't you go dying on me, alright?"

A 'boom' made them rise their head. Silver's eyes widened as the roots ran to them, threatening to tear them apart. Instinctively, Zidane placed his body over Kuja, acting as a living shield between him and the rots. Silver stood above them. Focusing his powers, he summoned the strongest dome of ice he could call forth. The roots hit the shield with rage, threatening to break it. The fighter turned to Zidane.

"Zidane, take Kuja and run, now!"

Zidane looked at him and nodded. He took Kuja on his shoulder but, before he could make two steps, both disappeared in a swirl of white and golden light. Silver's eyes widened.

"What?"

His surprise caused the shield to weaken. The roots saw that and broke it, piercing the dark fighter in a hundred places. Unable to defend himself, Silver screamed in agony.

* * *

><p>And yet ... Believe me, this is far from the end. I hope you liked it. And don't worry for Silver, the guy is hard to kill.<p>

See you soon.


	7. Epilogue II: Aftermath

Here is the final chapter of the story, the second part of the Epilogue, written under Si'Nai's point of view. Enjoy!

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><p>Epilogue II: Aftermath<p>

I returned to Selvaren where Uncle Seld gave me his place as the leader of the rangers. Two weeks later, Sari told me she was pregnant. A great party was organized to celebrate the event.

Dagger forsake her alias of Dagger and resumed her position as the Queen of Alexandria. She invited us to the celebration of Steiner and Beatrix's weeding, which was an occasion for our team to gather. There was one person missing: Zidane.

Despite our best efforts, Vivi died from old age in Tamassa. We mourned them, only for his body to disappear three days after his soul left him. We searched for him in vain. Vivi had vanished from Gaia.

Eiko was adopted by Regent Cid and Hilda, taking the name of Eiko Fabool the First. Last time I heard, she was enjoying her life, thought her mischievous attitude gave quite some troubles to the royal couple.

Freya returned to Burmecia and helped in the restoration of her kingdom alongside Sir Fratley. The man didn't recover his memories but his feelings for our friend seemed to be intact. I wonder when they will marry.

Amarant resumed bounty hunting with Lani. I see him from times to times when his wanderings take him near Selvaren. As far as I know, he's doing fine.

In looking for a way to save the black mages, we managed to retrieve the Invincible from Memoria. One can't imagine how surprised we were when we discovered a machine built by the Terrans that became the answer to our problems. Indeed, not only did the Invincible serve as a storage place for souls, but it also served as a storage place for Terran bodies! The Terrans looked like any of us but with purple, blue and pink hairs. The machine we discovered was called a 'Soul Transfer Device' according to Mikoto. It could transfer the soul of one from a body to another. Understanding what use we could make of it, we decided to try it on the black mages. Their souls were passed from their short-living, artificial bodies to the longer-lasting Terran ones. And it worked. The black mages retained their formidable black magic powers and became a full-fledged race on its own, with Elder 288 as their leader.

The opposite was done with the soulless Genomes. The stored souls were passed into them, completing them and making them equal to normal people. Mikoto became their de-facto leader and, with our help, they built a village not far from Selvaren and Tamassa: Ben'Alia. Our three races have grown close to the point we are now united in a single state that rules over all the western part of the Outer Continent, the Outer Federation. As we opened to the world outside, we made alliances with Burmecia, Lindblum and Cleyra, as well as Daggereo. Schools have opened around Gaia, teaching white and black magic, fighting and archery, dancing and singing … The Genomes proved to be extremely curious and soon spread to the Iifa Tree and Oeilvert. Their discoveries helped our civilizations develop by leaps and bonds. Running water, electricity and even a kind of long-range communication using the Terran's holographic technology became common in cities.

Today I am watching Selvaren from the balcony of my home. Sari gave me a son, Lowan. I see him train archery with Irianna and other children, both humans and Genomes. He looks like me but his eyes are blue as his mother's. I'm proud of him. Less of Irianna. The girl has started trying to get Phenix's armor as her own, which I am totally against. This is my armor, Gaia dammit! Of course, Irianna is Phenix's daughter and she knows it. Why do you think she tries to get it? I smile as a black haired boy with a long monkey tail join them. His name is Eole and I adopted him. The rumors say he has a twin sister somewhere around Treno but no one ever found her. Eole … is Zidane and Dagger's son.

Zidane never returned from the Iifa Tree, nor did Kuja and Silver. They disappeared from Gaia like Vivi did no long after. Not even their body was found. Garnet has to marry a man called Harald and changed from the kind and courageous princess we knew to something close to Queen Brahne, except she was controlled by Harald. Once more, Alexandria became our enemy.

Zidane, Silver, Kuja … where are you?

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><p>Where are they? No more in Gaia, it seems. Yep, that's what would happen if Zidane didn't return in the game. Dagger would have to marry someone else and nothing tells it would end well. Here, it didn't. But where are Zidane, Silver, Vivi and Kuja? Find out in the sequel. And where is this sequel? In Dissidia.<p>

See you soon here.


End file.
